‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ And 'Riverdale' Star Luke Perry Dies At 52

Luke Perry, the actor best known to a generation of TV viewers as the brooding James Dean-esque bad-boy Dylan McKay on the ‘90s teen soap Beverly Hills, 90210, has died. He was 52. Perry was hospitalised last week after suffering a stroke at home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles.

Following the actor’s death yesterday (March 4), his publicist issued a statement: “Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away today after suffering a massive stroke. He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, stepfather Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends.”

Before his passing, Perry was a regular on another teen drama, Riverdale, where he plays Fred Andrews, the father of Archie Andrews (KJ Apa). At press time, no word on how Perry’s death will impact the storylines of the show, currently in its third season.

Perry’s Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Ian Ziering tweeted, “Dearest Luke, I will forever bask in the loving memories we’ve shared over the last thirty years. May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind.”

Dearest Luke,I will forever bask in the loving memories we've shared over the last thirty years. May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind.

Perry became a household name as the James Dean-esque bad-boy Dylan McKay on the ‘90s teen soap. The show was rebooted in 2008; news of a second reboot was made on the same day Perry was hospitalised.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Perry goes to the movies! He ditched his leading man persona to play not-so-tough sidekick to Kristy Swanson’s high school cheerleader-cum-bloodsucker exterminator in Joss Whedon’s cult classic.

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Eight Seconds (1994)

Perry did most of his stunts in this biopic of bull-riding champ Lane Frost by Rocky director John G Avildsen.

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Jeremiah (2002-2004)

In this post-apocalyptical drama — where a virus wiped out everyone over the age of 13 — Perry’s titular character searches for a fabled land called Valhalla. Interestingly, Perry also played a recurring character named Jeremiah on the prison drama Oz.

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Riverdale (2016-present)

For another generation of TV viewers, Perry is best known as KJ Apa’s father on the show based on the Archie comics. No word on how Perry’s death will affect his character and the storylines on the show, now streaming on Netflix.